Texas A&M defensive line coach Sean Spencer is drawing serious interest from Virginia Tech for the same role, according to reports. And if the Hokies land him, they wouldn’t just be getting a coach-they’d be landing one of the key architects behind one of the most dominant defensive fronts in college football this past season.
Spencer, who joined the Aggies in December 2023 as part of Mike Elko’s original staff, has spent the past two years helping shape a defensive line that didn’t just play well-they flat-out took over games. Working alongside Tony Jerod-Eddie and Stan Watson, Spencer helped guide a unit that led the nation in sacks per game and finished second in tackles for loss per game. That kind of production doesn’t happen by accident.
The results speak for themselves. Texas A&M finished 11-2 and earned a spot in the College Football Playoff as the No. 7 seed-no small feat in the SEC gauntlet.
At the heart of that success was a relentless defensive front, anchored by star defensive end Cashius Howell. Howell didn’t just rack up stats-he earned unanimous All-American honors, took home SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and landed on the All-SEC first team.
His 11.5 sacks were good enough to rank fifth nationally, and his explosive play was a weekly problem for opposing offenses.
Spencer’s impact wasn’t just felt on Saturdays-it showed up on NFL draft boards, too. In his first year with A&M, he helped develop a trio of defensive linemen who are now headed to the pros.
Shemar Stewart went in the first round to the Bengals at No. 17 overall, while Nic Scourton (Panthers) and Shemar Turner (Bears) were second-round picks at No. 51 and 62, respectively. That kind of player development is what turns good programs into great ones-and it’s part of what makes Spencer such a valuable commodity on the coaching carousel.
If Spencer does make the move to Blacksburg, it wouldn’t be his first time working with new Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin. The two have a history going back to their days at Vanderbilt (2011-13) and Penn State (2014-17), where Spencer coached the defensive line and later added associate head coach and run game coordinator duties. He also has ties to Elko, having worked under him at Hofstra in 2006 and Bowling Green from 2009-10.
But Spencer’s potential departure is just one piece of a much larger shakeup in College Station. Since the end of the regular season, the Aggies have seen a wave of coaching turnover.
Offensive coordinator Collin Klein left to become the head coach at Kansas State. In response, A&M promoted Holmon Wiggins-previously co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach-to take over the offense.
On the defensive side, Lyle Hemphill has been elevated to defensive coordinator after Jay Bateman left for the same role at Kentucky. And the staff shuffle doesn’t stop there.
Former Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams is expected to come on board as the new linebackers coach, replacing Bateman in that role as well. The Aggies are also bringing in Kentucky tight ends coach Derek Shay to replace Christian Ellsworth, who’s following Klein to Manhattan.
Meanwhile, co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Jordan Peterson is reportedly a target for the defensive coordinator job at Kansas State.
It’s a time of transition for Texas A&M, no doubt. But if Spencer does head to Virginia Tech, the Hokies would be getting a proven developer of talent, a recruiter with deep ties, and a coach who knows how to build a disruptive, game-changing defensive line. That’s the kind of hire that can flip the script for a program looking to make noise in the ACC.